U.S. announces Hormuz blockade
President Trump announced a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, ordering all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports to be stopped and warning Iran against resistance. The announcement converts U.S. pressure into an attempt at physical control of a strategic chokepoint and could disrupt shipping and energy markets while raising the risk of military confrontation. (scmp.com)
President Donald Trump said on April 12 that the United States Navy would begin blockading ships entering or leaving Iranian ports through the Strait of Hormuz. (politico.com) United States Central Command said the operation would start at 10 a.m. Eastern time on Monday, April 13, and apply to “all maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports and coastal areas.” The command said ships sailing to non-Iranian ports would still be allowed to transit the strait. (reuters.com) Trump announced the move after talks in Islamabad between U.S. and Iranian officials ended without an agreement. Vice President JD Vance said on April 12 that “we have not reached an agreement” after the face-to-face meetings. (cbsnews.com) The Strait of Hormuz is the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman that connects the Persian Gulf to the open ocean. The International Energy Agency says an average of 20 million barrels a day of crude oil and oil products moved through it in 2025. (iea.org) At its narrowest point, the strait is 29 nautical miles wide, with 2-mile-wide shipping lanes for inbound and outbound traffic. The United States Energy Information Administration says very few alternative routes exist for the oil that normally leaves the Gulf through that passage. (iea.org) (eia.gov) The blockade shifts Washington from sanctions and naval patrols to direct attempts to stop commercial traffic tied to Iran. Reuters reported on April 12 that the order covers vessels of all nations if they are entering or departing Iranian ports. (reuters.com) The U.S. Navy already had warships moving through the area before Trump’s announcement. United States Naval Institute News reported on April 11 that the destroyers USS Frank E. Peterson and USS Michael Murphy had entered the strait as part of a plan to establish a route for merchant shipping. (news.usni.org) Iran signaled it would not accept the move quietly. CBS News reported that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said on April 12 that the Strait of Hormuz remained under Iran’s “full control,” while parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf warned Americans about higher gasoline prices. (cbsnews.com) Energy markets reacted within hours. Reuters reported that oil prices rose above $100 a barrel on April 12 after Trump threatened to block passage through the strait. (reuters.com) The next test is whether U.S. forces can stop Iran-bound shipping without turning the world’s busiest oil chokepoint into a shooting war. Trump paired the blockade order with a warning that any Iranian resistance would be met with force. (bloomberg.com)
